Let's Go Rome, Venice & Florence: The Student Travel Guide

By Harvard Student Agencies, Inc.

Welcome to Italy, the laid-back land of Roman majesty, Tuscan sunshine, and Venetian romanceat least, that’s what they say in the tourist brochures. Our student researchers have lived the real vita belladodging rogue scooters, unscheduled bus strikes, and overeager Italian suitorsin order to bring you the coverage that really matters. Their irreverent, in-depth commentary will keep you entertained through scores of Michelangelos and Medicis, and guide you straight to the best gelaterias in town. Whether you’re studying abroad in one city or hostel-hopping between all three, Let’s Go Rome, Venice & Florence will prepare you for an adventure you’ll never forget.

Let's Go publishes the world's favorite student travel guides, written entirely by Harvard undergraduates. Armed with pens, notebooks, and a few changes of underwear stuffed in their backpacks, our student researchers go across continents, through time zones, and above expectations to seek out invaluable travel experiences for our readers. Let's Go has been on the road for 50 years and counting: We're on a mission to provide our readers with sharp, fresh coverage packed with socially responsible opportunities to go beyond tourism.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Let's Go
• Release date: Apr 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781598809169

Book preview

DISCOVER ROME, VENICE & FLORENCE

When To Go

What To Do

RENDEZVOUS WITH THE RENAISSANCE

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE...

...LIKE A BIG PIZZA PIE

BEYOND TOURISM

Suggested Itineraries

BEST OF ROME, VENICE, AND FLORENCE IN 15 DAYS

THE HOLY TRAIL

LESSER-KNOWN WONDERS

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

How To Use This Book

CHAPTERS

LISTINGS

ICONS

OTHER USEFUL STUFF

PRICE DIVERSITY

MAP LEGEND

If you’re reading this, you’ve likely made the wise (if not entirely original) decision to spend some time in three of Italy’s (and the world’s) greatest cities. Yes, these are the destinations that everyone hopes to visit, but Rome, Venice, and Florence have gotten their must-see reputations for a reason. People come here to live out the romance of moonlit gondola rides through Venetian canals, melting gelato in the sun-baked Piazza della Signoria, and sunset at the Colosseum; to revel in the spine-tingling, larger-than-life testaments to the human spirit that fill the Sistine Chapel and the Uffizi. All three cities are ready to reward you with as many magical moments as you can handle—as long as you’re ready to embrace them. Some travelers find Italy’s quirks (supermarkets closed on Sundays and spotty air-conditioning among them) frustrating and let minor inconveniences spoil their time abroad. As a student traveler, however, you are uniquely situated to experience Rome, Venice, and Florence in all their ridiculousness and sublimity. Striking out on your own, likely on a budget, you’ll open yourself up to what someone who stays in the swankiest hotel and eats at all the five-star restaurants will miss: making connections with the people and way of life in these storied cities. Reach out to locals, adapt to your new surroundings, and navigate the caprices of the cities in which things we take for granted are conspicuously absent (the customer is always right, street signs, etc.). You too can learn to see the beauty of Italy’s sometimes befuddling customs, as getting to know the people of Rome, Venice, and Florence becomes as much a priority as taking in all the Renaissance art, Roman grandeur, and religious relics. Who knows? Maybe by the time you’re ready to leave, some of those Italian oddities won’t seem so ridiculous after all.

when to go

The beauty of Rome, Venice, and Florence is best experienced in the spring or fall, when the tourist hordes of summer and sour weather of winter won’t detract from the cities’ splendor. But if you can’t figure out a good excuse to spend a semester in Italy and have already booked Cabo for spring break, prepare for crowds, Venetian humidity, and summer heat that can climb into the mid-90s in Rome and Florence. There’s a reason most Italians go on vacation in August, so follow their example and find somewhere else to be during this time of year (Alaska, perhaps?).

You can expect cooler temperatures during the winter (typically somewhere in a 40s and 50s, although Venice gets a bit colder) and plenty of rain in Venice and Florence. Many sights keep shorter winter hours, and some hotels and restaurants even close their doors during these months. Then again, when your wait to enter the Vatican Museum is only 10min. and doesn’t involve heat stroke, you might be glad you chose to endure the minor inconvenience of packing a coat and mittens.

top five places to dine alfresco

5. PALATINE HILL: Have your slaves feed you grapes and live like a modern-day emperor in the place that was once home to rulers of a more ancient Roman variety (click here).

4. PONTE VECCHIO: It may not be Tiffany’s, but breakfast while gazing through the window of the jewelry shops along this Florentine bridge will put a smile on any diva’s face (click here).

3. PIAZZA NAVONA: Chow down on pizza alla Romana while enjoying Rome’s Baroque jewel (click here).

2. VENICE’S CAMPANILE: See if you can make it to the top of the city’s iconic 325ft. bell tower without letting your gelato melt (click here).

1. DAVID: Eat a juicy fig at the foot of Michelangelo’s famous statue in Florence...and don’t forget a leaf to cover him up (click here).

what to do

RENDEZVOUS WITH THE RENAISSANCE

If this book were titled Let’s Go: Rome, Venice, Florence, and the Louvre, we’d be covering practically every must-see work of art in the western hemisphere. As it is, we’re covering quite a lot. Men like Leonardo and Michelangelo, who ushered in the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance, created the art that fills these cities with you in mind: they stretched the bounds of human expression to prove what we were capable of doing, and the sense of excitement in their accomplishment that radiates from their work is contagious. Sure, Florence can start feeling like the Medici’s giant Renaissance storage facility, but when it seems as if you just can’t handle even one more Madonna and Child, take a minute to dig a little deeper into what makes these artistic wonders so special.

•  UFFIZI GALLERY: This is where you’ll find Botticelli’s biggies: Birth of Venus, Allegory of Spring, Adoration of the Magi, and Slander. Even if you don’t get why these are touchstones of art history, you’ve got to admit that Venus is pretty damn sexy. (Florence; click here.)

•  VATICAN MUSEUMS: Here they are: all the goodies the Catholic Church hauled in for itself during its succession of the Roman Empire as the arbiter of culture in the Western world. Resist the urge to race through these museums in order to reach the Sistine Chapel. (Rome; click here.)

•  GALLERIA DELL’ACCADEMIA: Even more hot Florentine nudity, this time in male form. Spend some time in this home of Michelangelo’s David and a surprisingly informative musical instruments exhibit. (Florence; click here.)

•  PALAZZO DUCALE: Get a feel for Venetian-style Renaissance opulence at this complex that once served as residence to the city’s mayor. Don’t miss hometown hero Tintoretto’s Paradise. (Venice; click here.)

•  GALLERIA BORGHESE: Try not to feel too bad about your contributions to humanity when you find yourself staring awestruck at Bernini’s magnificent Apollo and Daphne, as well as three of the sculptor’s other masterpieces that are housed here. (Rome; click here)

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE...

...ditch the travel maps and put on your dancing shoes. While you’ll be able to find an ample supply of clubs, bars, and lounges in Rome, a fair number in Florence, and a good handful in Venice, you’ll also want to take advantage of these cities’ hot summer nights, cheap local wine, and picturesque piazze to improvise your own nightlife–a kind that might not fly in the puritanical US of A. Be sure to start your night at an aperitivo happy hour for a dinner of buffet-style antipasti that won’t break the bank. Don’t forget to take in all the sights you’ve visited during the daytime after the sun sets. Floodlit after dusk, places like Campo de’ Fiori and the Ponte Vecchio become even more romantic when wine and the witching hours bring the spirits of the historic cobbled streets to life.

•  LIBRERIA CAFFÉ BOHEMIEN: Sip on one of 47 varieties of wine at this relaxed, intellectual watering hole. (Rome; click here.)

•  LAS PALMAS: Soak up the block-party feel of this happening bar that fills up a blacktop-like piazza with an ample aperitivo buffet, summer film screenings, and plenty of welcoming conviviality. (Florence; click here.)

•  CAMPO SAN MARGHERITA: This is the place to go for Venetian nightlife. Start the evening entertainment before sunset at your choice of dance or jazz club, Irish pub, or relaxed bar and lounge. (Venice; click here.)

•  AKAB: A Let’s Go favorite of Rome’s Monte Testaccio club scene, Akab offers live music and dancing in a hip setting. (Rome; click here.)

•  CIBRÉO TEATRO DEL SALE: With endless plates of food, bottomless wine glasses, and live performances, this unforgettable smorgasbord is a feast for both your stomach and your eyes. (Florence; click here.)

...LIKE A BIG PIZZA PIE

Now that you’re spending all day walking and sightseeing, reward yourself with a taste of Italy’s best cuisine. In Rome, delight in the fresh produce of the fertile Lazio region and home-style cooking that wastes nothing (tripe, anyone?). In Venice, indulge in the fruits of the Adriatic as well as the wild game and mushrooms of the northern Italian mainland. And in Florence, revel in Tuscan specialties like panzanella (a summer bread salad), ribollita (a soup made with seasonal veggies, beans, and bread), and bistecca alla fiorentina. Hit up grocers for gourmet picnics, fornaios for sinfully affordable pizza, and aperitivo happy hours for assorted antipasti and the house wine. So make like a cow and graze your way through these cities—you’ll probably wish you had four stomachs, too.

•  ANTICA GELATERIA FIORENTINA: Sample off-beat flavors like rosewater, cheesecake, and green tea—no need to limit yourself, as a scoop costs only €1. (Florence; click here.)

•  GAM GAM: Italian kosher food exists. And it will change your life, one matzah ball at a time. (Venice; click here.)

•  CACIO E PEPE: Take your obligatory trip to Vatican City as an excuse to eat this friendly trattoria’s heaping plate of fresh egg pasta topped with oil, grated cheese, and black pepper. (Rome; click here.)

•  DA VINATTIERI: This hole-in-the-wall sandwich joint will make a delectable panini on classic Tuscan bread for a lunch that’ll set you back no more than a few euro. (Florence; click here.)

•  LA MELA VERDE: GELATERIA ARTIGIANALE: The best of Venice’s artisan gelato. (Venice; click here.)

BEYOND TOURISM

If the thought of exploring a new country amid an ocean of bobbing baseball hats, fanny-packs, and city maps make you a little seasick, we’re here to throw you a life preserver. For a cultural experience that delves deeper than a piece of pizza or a photo-op in front of the Trevi Fountain, travel to Rome, Venice, or Florence as a student, volunteer, or salaried employee. It’s hard to dread the first day of school when Rome is your campus and heaping bowls of pasta al dente and creamy gelato alla fragola make up your meal plan. Those with particular interest in art and architecture, archaeology and ancient civilizations, food and wine, or fashion design will find a wealth of study abroad programs that explore all the rich shades of Italian culture. There’s a little something for everyone: the Indiana Joneses of tomorrow can volunteer in archaeology work camps; resume-padders can consider interning at a Florentine architecture firm; wannabe hippies can check out the World Wide Organization of Organic Farming (WWOOF) to get down and dirty on organic farms; and those with magical, bottomless carpetbags and umbrellas with talking-parrot handles should look into au pairing adorable Italian bambini.

•  UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA SAPIENZA: Party the semester away at this university, conveniently located near Rome’s Termini train station. (Rome; click here.)

•  STUDIO ART CENTERS INTERNATIONAL: Enroll in a year-long program to receive a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in art, art history, or art conservation—or just futz around the beautiful city during the summer. (Florence; click here.)

•  PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION: Intern at this first-rate museum that boasts works by artistic superstars like Miró, Picasso, Dalí, and Magritte and calls a gorgeous palazzo its home. (Venice; click here).

•  ITALY VOLUNTEER PROJECT ON WHALE AND DOLPHIN RESEARCH: Learn to speak whale as fluently as Dory while researching marine life. (click here).

student superlatives

•  MOST PROMISING FIXER-UPPER: All that’s needed is a few tons of marble and roughly 40,000 Christian slaves to bring Rome’s Baths of Diocletian back to its former glory (click here).

•  MOST LIKELY TO GIVE YOU A NECK CRAMP: Florence’s Baptistery of San Giovanni and its elaborate, mesmerizing ceiling mosaic (click here).

•  MOST GLAMOROUS: Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica (click here).

•  MOST BLING: The pope’s crib (a.k.a. Vatican City), where you’ll find Swiss guards donning tricked out colorful uniforms and the sickest frescoes ever, yo (click here).

•  MOST MISLEADING: Florence’s Festival del Gelato—while it’s not actually a celebration, your taste buds will have a ball after your first bite of cioccolata fondente (click here).

•  MOST LIKELY TO EXPAND YOUR WAISTLINE: Cip Ciap, Let’s Go’s pick for the best pizza in Venice (click here).

•  BEST PLACE TO WALK LIKE A ROMAN: The Appian Way, where you can strut your stuff along the same ground once graced by the likes of Virgil, St. Peter, and Spartacus (click here).

•  MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: The enterprising Ple. Michelangelo, which somehow managed to transcend its primary purpose as a parking lot to become a destination for millions of camera-toting tourists in Florence (click here).

•  BEST PLACE TO SPLURGE ON A SOUVENIR: Ca’ Macana, where you will find the best of Venice’s artisanal masks (click here).

suggested itineraries

BEST OF ROME, VENICE, AND FLORENCE IN 15 DAYS

Spend a couple weeks exploring the holy trinity of Italy.

•  ROME (7 DAYS): Start day one off strong and hit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Velabrum in the morning, then move on to Trastevere through the Isola Tiberina to check out Gianicolo Hill and the lovely Chiesa di Santa Maria. End your first day with dinner at one of the neighborhood’s homey trattorias and then soak up its vibrant nightlife. Make Vatican City your destination for day two, giving yourself enough time to thoroughly explore the Musei Vaticani and St. Peter’s Basilica as well as the Sistine Chapel. For a comparatively low-key chaser, head to the Castel Sant’Angelo before grabbing dinner. Cool off with some jazz at Fonclea and icy goodness at Old Bridge Gelateria to complete the evening. Begin day three at the Galleria Borghese (remember to reserve your ticket in advance) and then eat a picnic brunch in the gardens that surround the museum. Follow V. Veneto to Capuchin Crypt and P. Barberini. Try to erase the crypt’s reminder of your mortality from your memory as you spend the rest of the day shopping and eating your way through the area around the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna, and Piazza del Popolo. Make a pilgrimage to Rome’s best churches on day four. Start with San Giovanni in Laterano, San Clemente, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Pietro in Vincoli. Take a siesta, then head to Centro Storico for San Luigi dei Francesi and the Pantheon, an equally inspiring religious structure. Spend day five in southern Rome, diving back into ancient history with a visit to the Circus Maximus. If you’re ready for a walk, head to the Centrale Montemartini, or take the Metro to get there and to reach the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura. Return to Testaccio for excellent food and clubbing. Go even deeper south on day six and take a bus to the Appian Way, where you can investigate the Catacombo San Sebastiano and San Callisto. On day seven, spend the morning rambling through the Baths of Diocletian, then head to P. del Popolo for lunch and pass the afternoon strolling down V. del Corso, detouring to check out Santa Maria del Popolo and the Museo della’Ara Pacis at your leisure. End at the Capitoline Hill for one final survey of the eternal city.

•  FLORENCE (5 DAYS): Head straight to the Duomo on day one, taking time to explore the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Campanile and Brunelleschi’s dome, and the Museo Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. Spend the afternoon at the Uffizi (reserve in advance) and the Palazzo Vecchio. Begin day two viewing sculptures at the Bargello and Accademia. Get your fill of San Marco in the afternoon by visiting the Museo di San Marco and the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Day three means more religion, with visits to the Basilica di Santa Croce and Basilica di San Lorenzo. Wander around P. della Signoria, then turn north to Palazzo Medici Ricardi. Head to the environs of Santa Maria Novella on day four. Don’t miss the Museo di Ferragamo, then hit up other small sights like the Palazzo Strozzi, Santa Maria Novella church, the Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia, and the Chiesa di San Salvatore Ad Ognissanti. On day five, cross the river to the Oltrarno neighborhood and spend the day at the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens. Catch sunset as the Piazzale Michelangelo before you move on to Venice.

•  VENICE (4 DAYS): Begin day one in Venice’s most famous square, Piazza San Marco, and tour its famous basilica. Duck into the Museo Correr to escape the tourist hordes, then grab lunch and do some window shopping along Calle Larga XXII Marzo. Hit the Palazzo Ducale for hardcore Venetian history. If you want the full tourist experience, climb the Campanile for a pre-dinner stretch of the legs or shell out the money for a gondola ride. Start day two around Rialto Bridge; make sure to take in its market scene and consider a stop in the Palazzo Grassi. Continue on to the Basilica dei Frari in San Polo and check out the Tintoretto canvases in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. After lunch, move on to Dorsoduro, Let’s Go’s favorite Venetian neighborhood. Tour the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Santa Maria della Salute, and, if you’re up to it, the Accademia. Consider rounding out your day with a vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal. On day three, explore the lagoon by vaporetto, stopping at Lido and Burano. Head to Santa Croce and fill your afternoon with a visit to Venice’s Museum of Natural History. Eat an affordable meal in the neighborhood and wander back to see P. San Marco at night. Hit the Ca’ d’Oro on day four and stroll through the Jewish Ghetto midday. Do some last minute shopping if your wallet can handle you picking up some artisan glass, lace, or masks. Then party it up around the Campo Santa Margherita as you bid farewell to Venezia.

THE HOLY TRAIL

Pack your rosary beads and practice your genuflecting before you make the pilgrimage to the cities’ most pious places.

•  ROME (2 DAYS): You can’t get much closer to the big guy upstairs than Vatican City. Spend your first day exploring the centuries of religious and artistic history that are packed into this little country. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica and the Piazza di San Pietro, along with the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum. Make day two a basilica bonanza and put the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, and the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano on your itinerary. For a little cleanse on all that Catholicism, visit the Great Synagogue at the end of the day.

•  FLORENCE (2 DAYS): On your first day in Florence, the city’s Duomo and Giotto’s Campanile are must-sees. Take day two to admire the frescoes of the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and the magnificent doors and ceiling mosaic of the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Finish up your saintly tour of Florence at the Basilica di San Lorenzo, the Basilica di Santa Croce, and the Chiesa di San Salvatore a Ognissanti.

•  VENICE (1 DAY): God smiled upon Venice, too. During your time here, be sure to check out the Basilica di San Marco, the Basilica del Frari, and Santa Maria della Salute.

LESSER-KNOWN WONDERS

If you’ve climbed all the steps of Florence’s Duomo and have thrown enough coins in the Trevi Fountain, take some time to explore Rome’s, Venice’s, and Florence’s lesser-known wonders.

•  ROME (2 DAYS): Between the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the Vatican and the Roman Forum, it’s easy to overlook some of Rome’s best sights. On your first day, take time to admire the often overlooked Arco di Constantine, visit Hadrian’s first-century mausoleum at the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo, and see some pieces produced way after the Roman Empire at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna. On day two, head south to the Cimitero Acattolico, Centrale Montmartini, and Chiesa dei Santi Quattro Coronati.

•  FLORENCE (2 DAYS): There’s more to Florence than the Duomo and David. On your first day in the city, counter all the Catholicism you’ve been absorbing with a trip to the Synagogue of Florence. Then visit the Bargello, Florence’s less famous museum that nonetheless houses its fair share of names like Michelangelo and Donatello. Take a break and walk through the grottos and garden temples of the Boboli Gardens. Spend day two exploring some more contemporary sights. The Blair Waldorfs of the world can trot on over to the Museo di Ferragamo, a museum devoted entirely to shoes, while the guys can keep their testosterone at healthy levels with a visit to Stadio Artemio Franchi, the home of Florence’s soccer team. Stroll through the Center for Contemporary Culture Strozzina in the Palazzo Strozzi for a taste of Italy’s more modern art and culture.

•  VENICE (1 DAY): After admiring countless paintings at the Palazzo Ducale, go to the Fondazione di Venezia Museum of Photography for a change of medium. For an even less conventional Venetian art museum, check out Punta della Dogana, where you’ll find pieces like a giant cube made of taxidermied animals. Finish the day off with a visit to Basilica dei Frari (ignore its less than stunning exterior to discover the true meaning of inner beauty).

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

Landlubbers, it’s time to get your sea legs as you cruise through these aquatic wonders of Italy.

•  VENICE (3 DAYS): If you’re looking for sights on the water, heading to the this city of canals is a no-brainer. Spend your first day cruising the vaporetto line along the Grand Canal. All of the sights in the P. San Marco are along the main vaporetto route, as are the Accademia, Basilica dei Frari, Ca’ Pesaro, and Museo di Storia Naturale, among many other sights. On the second and third days, leave the mainland (if you can really call Venice’s sestieri mainland at all) for the islands of the lagoon. Sun yourself on the beaches of Lido, experience artisan mastery on the Glass Island of Murano and lace-producing Burano, and former hotspots Torcello and Giudecca. Before you leave this city of water and bridges, be sure to visit the most famous of them all—Rialto Bridge—and its associated market in San Polo.

•  FLORENCE (1 DAY): As a landlocked city, there isn’t much to do in the way of watery wonders. Still, make a stop at the Ponte Vecchio and enjoy your view of the Arno. From there, you’ll have to head to the bars: San Lorenzo’s Fish Pub and Santa Croce’s Las Palmas and Lochness Lounge are all perfectly themed for your off-shore adventures. By the time you’re done drinking the night away, you’ll probably feel a little sea sick, at least.

•  ROME (2 DAYS): On your first day, get acquainted with one of the most famous water-spurting sights in Europe: Trevi Fountain. From there, head to the Baths of Diocletian; though you won’t be scrubbing off the city grime here, you can at least see two preserved necropolises and some artifacts of Roman history. End your day at the Isola Tiberina, Rome’s sorry attempt at a beach. On day two, get out Rome and head to a real beach: Lido di Ostia, only a bus ride away from the city. While you’re there, visit Ostia Antica—the Roman answer to Naples’s Pompeii—for the ultimate oceanic attraction: the Baths of Neptune, god of the sea.

how to use this book

CHAPTERS

In the next few pages, the travel coverage chapters—the meat of any Let’s Go book—begin. First, check out the ancient history, religious overtones, and speeding Vespas of Rome. Channel your inner Caesar at the Colosseum and Roman Forum—just look out for Brutus. Next, head northeast to the Adriatic in Venice, where you’ll inevitably become acquainted with bridges, canals, and a serious lack of street signs. Finally, experience the beauty of Tuscany in Florence, the home of Michelangelo’s David as well as dozens of replicas of the famous muscled, marble man.

But that’s not all, folks. We also have a few extra chapters for you to peruse:

LISTINGS

Listings—a.k.a. reviews of individual establishments—constitute a majority of Let’s Go coverage. Our Researcher-Writers list establishments in order from best to worst value—not necessarily quality. (Obviously a five-star hotel is nicer than a hostel, but it would probably be ranked lower because it’s not as good a value.) Listings pack in a lot of information, but it’s easy to digest if you know how they’re constructed:

ESTABLISHMENT NAME

type of establishment $$$$

Address

phone number website

Editorial review goes here.

Directions to the establishment.

Other practical information about the establishment, like age restrictions at a club or whether breakfast is included at a hostel.

Prices for goods or services.

Hours or schedules.

ICONS

First things first: places and things that we absolutely love, sappily cherish, generally obsess over, and wholeheartedly endorse are denoted by the all-empowering Let’s Go thumbs-up. In addition, the icons scattered at the end of a listing (as you saw in the sample above) can serve as visual cues to help you navigate each listing:

OTHER USEFUL STUFF

Area codes for Rome, Venice, and Florence are indicated in the boxes titled Call me! at the beginning of those cities’ respective chapters. In order to pack the book with as much information as possible, we have used a few standard abbreviations. Piazza has been abbreviated P.; Piazzale has become Ple.; Via is written as V.; and Viale shows up as Vle.; and Corso is C. in this book. In Rome, if directions begin with , it indicates a Metro stop, while in Venice, directions beginning with V: indicate a vaporetto (water taxi) stop. (Sorry to break it to you, but a city floating on water does not, in fact, have an underground Metro.)

PRICE DIVERSITY

A final set of icons corresponds to what we call our price diversity scale, which approximates how much money you can expect to spend at a given establishment. For accommodations, we base our range on the cheapest price for which a single traveler can stay for one night. For food, we estimate the average amount one traveler will spend in one sitting. The table below tells you what you’ll typically find in Rome, Venice, and Florence at the corresponding price range, but keep in mind that no scale can allow for the quirks of all individual establishments.

MAP LEGEND

You’ll notice that our maps have a lot of crazy symbols. Here’s how to decode them.

ROME

Orientation

ANCIENT CITY

CENTRO STORICO

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

JEWISH GHETTO

VATICAN CITY

TRASTEVERE

TERMINI AND SAN LORENZO

NORTHERN ROME

TESTACCIO AND OSTIENSE

SOUTHERN ROME

Accommodations

ANCIENT CITY

CENTRO STORICO

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

VATICAN CITY

TRASTEVERE

TERMINI AND SAN LORENZO

NORTHERN ROME

TESTACCIO AND OSTIENSE

Sights

ANCIENT CITY

CENTRO STORICO

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

JEWISH GHETTO

VATICAN CITY

TRASTEVERE

TERMINI AND SAN LORENZO

NORTHERN ROME

TESTACCIO AND OSTIENSE

SOUTHERN ROME

Food

ANCIENT CITY

CENTRO STORICO

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

JEWISH GHETTO

VATICAN CITY

TRASTEVERE

TERMINI AND SAN LORENZO

NORTHERN ROME

TESTACCIO AND OSTIENSE

SOUTHERN ROME

Nightlife

ANCIENT CITY

CENTRO STORICO

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

TRASTEVERE

TERMINI AND SAN LORENZO

NORTHERN ROME

TESTACCIO AND OSTIENSE

Arts And Culture

JAZZ

CLASSICAL MUSIC AND OPERA

ROCK AND POP

SOCCER

Shopping

DEPARTMENT STORES

OPEN-AIR MARKETS

BOOKSTORES

Excursion

OSTIA

Essentials

PRACTICALITIES

EMERGENCY

GETTING THERE

GETTING AROUND

Rome: the epitome of Italy, and its biggest enigma. It condenses every stereotype that plagues the country into one sprawling metropolis...and then rambles on another few kilometers and centuries to reverse them all. With neighborhoods off the map and streets too small to be mapped, this is a city as expansive as it is walkable, as global as it is local. And here’s the biggest paradox of all: it’s as young as it is old. And that doesn’t mean Rome averages out to some middle-aged soccer mom.

People come to this city for many reasons: for history, for artistic enlightenment, or to eat so much pasta and pizza that they won’t leave until someone rolls them out. Nowhere else in the world could you view the immaculate ceiling of the Sistine Chapel after exploring the dilapidated remains of ancient settlements and still dance the night away once the sun has set. Rome brings every Italian experience together but remains truly unique, and you can’t expect to conquer it all (Carthage tried with an entire army and failed.) Sometimes, like the speeding Vespas that only stop when you walk in front of them, Rome requires that you stand up to it. Are you ready for the challenge?

greatest hits

•  HOLY SEE, HOLY DO. Fed up with Italy? Cross the border into Vatican City, population 900 solemn Catholics, and visit the largest church in the world (click here).

•  GRECO-ROMAN FAIRYTALES. Women turn into trees and are carried into the underworld in the Galleria Borghese, a temple to the works of Bernini (click here).

•  GET YOUR TROWELS OUT. The Colosseum is just the beginning of Ancient Rome’s gifts to the modern city (click here).

•  DEUX EX MACHINA. For an industrial night out, head for drinks at Trastevere’s Freni e Frizioni (click here).

student life

It’s not only archaeology students who’ll find something interesting in Rome. For a destination with such a prominent Ancient City, Rome is shockingly young; the 147,000 students of Rome’s Sapienza University form one of Europe’s largest student bodies. Sapienza is based in San Lorenzo a little to the east of Termini Station. By a convenient coincidence, that puts it right next to tourists’ main point of entry and the city’s highest concentration of budget accommodations. If you’re wondering where the young people stay, this area is the answer. In a remarkably unsurprising development, the combination of students and student travelers has transformed Termini into one of the city’s biggest nighttime destinations. Be aware that students aren’t the only people around here after dark, as pickpockets often operate in this area.

Termini and San Lorenzo are just the beginning for students in this diverse city. The Centro Storico may be full of Roman piazze and grand temples to the dead, but at night the bars magically appear and monuments are transformed into student hubs. After gorging yourself on an aperitivo buffet, go relax on the steps of an ancient church; just because you’re young doesn’t mean you don’t care about history, right? But when the past proves too much, go to Drunken Ship for a return to the trusty beer pong table experience. To find international students, head across the Tiber to Trastevere, home to an American liberal arts college, John Cabot University. This is a favorite haunt of study abroad students, so come here and relax in Cafe Friends anytime between 7am and 2am. The southern neighborhoods of Testaccio and Ostiense are other great options for young people in the Eternal City.

orientation

Rome is easily navigable on foot—every time you think you’re lost, another monument pops up and you’re back on track. The best way to think of Rome is as a body: a few major arteries (some with significant blockage problems) will take you from region to region, while countless capillaries branch off into compact neighborhoods. P. Venezia is not really the heart of Rome, but it’s where the city’s main thoroughfares convene. V. Cavour and V. Nazionale are the legs leading down to Rome’s foot—Termini, the city’s main transportation hub. The arm of the V. dei Fori Imperiali takes you back in time, passing the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The other arm, the V. del Corso, heads into the very commercial present, as it’s filled with shops and the crowds that go with them. This then becomes the V. Flaminia, which navigates around the Villa Borghese. Rome’s neck is the Centro Storico, a mass of winding streets where navigation by map is much more difficult than navigation by monument. The C. Vittorio Emanuele II is a useful throughway which leads across the Tiber River into Rome’s slightly less crazy head, home to Trastevere and not-technically-part-of-Rome-but-we’re-still-including-it-for-obvious-reasons Vatican City.

call me!

The phone code for Rome is 06.

ANCIENT CITY

With one of the highest camera-to-square-inch-of-sidewalk ratios in Rome, the Ancient City doesn’t exactly feel ancient anymore. This vast stretch of tourist heaven, whose sights are the reason that many people come to Italy, is a stunning mix of old and new—for every ruin you’ll see (and there are plenty), there’s probably a plastic replica to match. The Via dei Fori Imperiali is the main thoroughfare for ruin-seekers, passing the Colosseum and Roman Forum before reaching Piazza Venezia, where the road ends with the classical pastiche that is the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument. Around the P. Venezia, even more Roman ruins await at Via del Teatro di Marcello, although these are less famous (but only moderately less impressive). Via Cavour leads from the Roman Forum to the pleasant Monti area and Esquiline Hill, full of narrow, picturesque streets that aren’t clogged with tourist traps. Perhaps it’s the feeling of time travel as you survey the remains of an extinct civilization (or maybe it’s the mouth-watering aroma of fresh-baked pizza that does it), but tourist travails pale in comparison to the pleasures of the Ancient City.

CENTRO STORICO

To the traveler who has paid one too many euro after waiting in one too many 4hr. lines, the Centro Storico offers a reprieve: nearly all of the churches, monuments, and piazze are free of charge, and the only lines you’ll be waiting in are for overpriced gelato. With most of the main attractions clustered on either side of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, this tangled web of streets is manageable in size, though not the easiest to navigate. Expect to get lost as vie suddenly split into numerous vicoli, so use C. Vittorio Emanuele II as a departure point and the vibrant urban living rooms of Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona as your major landmarks. Letting yourself get lost might be the best approach, though: you’ll find yourself effortlessly arriving at unassuming churches and monuments, only to realize they’re famous landmarks. The entire region seems to be in a constant state of entropy, with tourists bumping into each other as they dart from one photo op to another in a part of town that stays high-energy late into the night.

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

Nestled between the Tiber River and the grounds of the Villa Borghese, the area around the P. di Spagna is Rome’s answer to 5th Ave., the Champs-Élysées, and the West End. From the Piazza del Popolo, the neighborhood branches off into three main roads: the quieter Via della Ripetta, the overbearing Via del Corso, and the Via del Babuino. The last of these leads to the Spanish Steps. For the fashion-obsessed, Via dei Condotti is home to the shops of some of the most exclusive Italian designers. Sightseers on a budget will not be disappointed, either, as many landmarks (like the Trevi Fountain) are free to the public. To avoid the capitalist onslaught, take a stroll on the elevated Viale di Trinita dei Monti, which offers the best view of P. di Spagna and its artistic marvels.

JEWISH GHETTO

Just across from Trastevere is the small area known as the Jewish Ghetto, the first of its kind in Western Europe. Bordering the Lungotevere dei Cenci is the impressive Great Synagogue, the spiritual and physical center of the area. It’s a small, residential neighborhood that is renowned for delicious Kosher food, especially carciofi alla giudia (insanely delicious fried artichokes) found mainly in the restaurants of the Via del Portico d’Ottavia. Friday evenings and Saturdays are not, of course, the time to visit, as residents will be at home observing the Sabbath. While tiny, the Jewish Ghetto is pretty and peaceful, a welcome break from the many tourists next door in Centro Storico.

VATICAN CITY

The people-to-square-foot ratio is significantly cockeyed in this part of the city: the madhouse of tourists in the Vatican contrasts sharply with the empty boulevards in the surrounding region of Prati. That’s actually a good thing—after forging through crowds to pay a visit to the pope, you’ll be able to wander effortlessly down tree-lined streets visited only by dog walkers and the occasional lost tourist looking for a big dome (a.k.a. Saint Peter’s Basilica). If the plastic souvenirs, bright flags, and English menus aren’t enough to indicate which region you’re in, the brick wall that physically separates Vatican City from Prati should give you a clue. On the Prati side, you’ll find surprisingly affordable hotels and casual trattorias scattered among modern, pastel residential buildings. For all this talk about crowds in Vatican City, even when you make your way back toward the pope’s digs, the throng of people is more manageable than what you’ll find in Central Rome. Maybe it’s the gargantuan size of St. Peter’s and its piazza, or perhaps peoples’ religious consciences keeping them away, but somehow the tourist crush is more diluted than you’d expect.

TRASTEVERE

Trastevere is to Rome what Brooklyn is to New York: overlooked by tourists, loved by locals, and removed from the metropolitan center while still being in the thick of things. There aren’t any Metro stops nearby, but you can play choose-your-own-adventure by crossing one of the three main bridges into different parts of town. The Ponte Fabricio and the Isola Tiberina open into the quieter, right side of the neighborhood where there are plenty of restaurants and laid-back bars. The Ponte Garibaldi leads into Piazza G. Belli and the less-than-beautiful Viale Trastevere. Finally, the Ponte Sisto brings you right into the Piazza Trilussa and the heart of Trastevere’s extensive nightlife. While you probably won’t end up sleeping here, as there are few budget-friendly accommodations, the excellent bar and club scene and unpretentious, homegrown restaurants make this a good bet for evenings, and daytime strolls provide plenty of picturesque photo ops. If you’ve had enough of monuments